Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home (Welcome to Night Vale, #3)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home

(Welcome to Night Vale #3)

Joseph Fink,

Jeffrey Cranor

4.29 · Rating details · 346 ratings · 101 reviews

From the New York Times bestselling authors of Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours! and the creators of the hit podcast, comes a new novel set in the world of Night Vale and beyond.

In the town of Night Vale, theres a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyones home, but no one knows how she got there or where she came from...until now. Told in a series of eerie ...more

Get A Copy

ebook, 384 pages

Published March 24th 2020 by Harper Perennial

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Can't Wait Books of 2020

850 books — 1,991 voters

The Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin

Can't Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2020

395 books — 873 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.29 ·

Rating details

· 346 ratings · 101 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home (Welcome to Night Vale, #3)

Sep 15, 2019 Amy marked it as to-read

Holy hell I'm stupid excited.

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2020 Kathy rated it it was amazing

This is a fantastic origin story, filled with clever word play, creepy moments, and unfathomable history.

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2020 Rachel rated it really liked it

I attempted many different voices, hoping to find anything that could reach him. I tried being Jesus. I tried being one of the horses. I tried telling him I was his subconscious, but he didnt know what that word meant. He never questioned the existence of the voices, but he certainly did not take them seriously.

This was not what I was expecting, but was still an entertaining read. I thought the vibe was a lot different than It Devours, creepier and more solemn, if I had to pinpoint.

We start out ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2019 Tucker marked it as just-owned

Shelves: owned-physical, fantasy, science-fiction, arc-physical, horror, humor, fiction

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2020 biblio_mom (Aiza) rated it really liked it

"My life had measured Itself in moments, in days, and in months, but my best magic nothing. I, like the universe, was called, timeless and ever-expanding".

The story was told from a first-person point of view, the faceless woman herself. It follows the faceless old woman who secretly lives in people houses. She goes around Craig's life watching his every move. Then, she began telling us her own story right from when she was born. Her mother died giving birth to her and when she grew up as a kid, ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2020 Kris (Cress) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, magical-realism

This felt very different from other Night Vale books right away, and more like a traditional novel involving danger, thievery, smuggling, and revenge. I kept waiting for it to feel "More Like Night Vale", all the while thoroughly enjoying the main story of The Faceless Old Woman and feeling very confused about how her past intersected with the small sections involving her current interactions with Night Vale resident Craig. By the time it all came together I was completely entranced. The end ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2020 The Lit Bitch rated it liked it

This book was a huge shot in the dark for me. I hadnt heard of the series before, and the fact that it was the third in a series so I had no idea what I was getting myself into.and its categorized as sci-fi which I usually dont read much of.

I thought the title sounded interesting and I loved the promise of a creepy old woman haunting people and the cover is quirky and eye catching, so in the end I thought..why not.

Its rare that I read a shot in the dark book, I usually try and stick within my This book was a huge shot in the dark for me. I hadn’t heard of the series before, and the fact that it was the third in a series so I had no idea what I was getting myself into….and it’s categorized as sci-fi which I usually don’t read much of.

I thought the title sounded interesting and I loved the promise of a creepy old woman haunting people and the cover is quirky and eye catching, so in the end I thought…..why not.

It’s rare that I read a ‘shot in the dark’ book, I usually try and stick within my favorite genres while occasionally trying something ‘new to me’ but this one was completely different than what I normally read so I kept coming back to the catchy title (even if it was long!) and I ultimately just went for it.

I loved the last bit of the summary where it describes this book as being part Haunting of Hill House and part Count of Monte Cristo. I love both of those books so much and I really thought this was going to be a book I would really enjoy. It was difficult for me to decide if I felt lost because I was missing the other 2 books in the series or if this book was part of a podcast series (which what is that even???), or if it was the fact that it was set in a world I had no understanding or prior knowledge, or if the story itself was just plain confusing. I honestly couldn’t say…..maybe all of those things.

I mean, I didn’t hate this book, on the contrary, I thought it had a ton of potential and a lot of unique quirky things to recommend itself, but I definitely felt confused and unsure of the plot for most of the book. The story is told over two different time periods, a modern day thread and an 1800s thread, ultimately converging together later in the book, but for the first part of the book I had no idea how these two threads were connected and felt lost and disconnected from the characters.

Though I did love the old woman though—-she had an interesting story, though predicable, was still a pleasure to read and enjoy. So here comes the big debate….what do I rate this book? I mean on one hand I felt lost in the world and plot, but it wasn’t entirely imperative to the story if that makes sense. The story could be enjoyed independently without much knowledge of the larger world but it is clear that the author assumes readers are familiar with the Night Vale world and I sadly am not, though I am definitely interested in reading the other books or even checking out the podcast because I think there is a lot to love in this series. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel disconnected to the story to some degree so I ended up giving this one a 3 star rating. Lots of good mechanics and interesting things happening, but if you aren’t familiar with the world etc you might not enjoy it as much.

See my full review here ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2020 BrittsBookClub rated it liked it

Shelves: advance-review-copies, reviewed, adult-fiction

Was I expecting a somewhat scary story about a woman who haunts the homes of people that live in Night Vale? Yes. Is that what I got? No. This story was not what I expected at all, but I still thought it was good. I wish it had a little more of a scary element to it, but thats just personal preference and Im not sure if everyone would agree.

The Story: The story was told using two different time periods. The book used present day, which told the story of the faceless old lady haunting a man named Was I expecting a somewhat scary story about a woman who haunts the homes of people that live in Night Vale? Yes. Is that what I got? No. This story was not what I expected at all, but I still thought it was good. I wish it had a little more of a scary element to it, but that’s just personal preference and I’m not sure if everyone would agree.

The Story: The story was told using two different time periods. The book used present day, which told the story of the faceless old lady haunting a man named Craig, and the past (mostly in the 1800s), which told the story of how the faceless old woman came to be haunting Craig’s home. For most of the book, the two stories didn’t match up at all and I found myself scratching my head as to Craig’s part in the novel. But, as should have been expected, everything gets cleared up in the end. I found myself really enjoying the faceless old woman’s story. It was easy to follow along and I found myself captivated by her adventures. I didn’t particularly love the story of Craig’s haunting. It was just confusing and seemed so out of place for most of the novel.

The Flow: Some parts of the novel were fast-paced and some took on a bit of a slow crawl. I breezed through most of the stories from the past, as they were the ones filled with all of the action and adventure.

The Characters: I liked our main character and really enjoyed watching her develop throughout the story from a young and innocent child to a woman ruled by vengeance. I liked all the characters I was meant to like and disliked all the characters I was meant to dislike. I thought they were all portrayed really well in their own unique ways and were easy to picture in my mind.

The Writing: I loved the writing of this novel. At times, it seemed poetic. The novel contained such descriptive words that I really felt as if I was playing a movie in my mind. I love when novels contain two time periods, so this one was right on par for me, despite the fact that one of the time periods fell a little flat.

I didn’t realize going into this novel that it was part of a podcast series and I’m wondering if I had known, and followed along with the podcast, if I would have enjoyed the story a lot more. While I did like the story, I didn’t love it, and I think that could have been due to my lack of knowledge about the town of Night Vale.

*Thank you to Harper Perennial and the authors for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review* ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2020 Diana Imparato rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Thanks to Harper Perennial for another wonderful book. I received this for free in exchange for an honest review.
You know that feeling you get sometimes like you are being watched but it's only you in the house? Or like stuff is not where is supposed to be but nobody could have touched...you live alone. Kind of creepy moments to be honest...then you stumble on a book and the first line of the description says something like " ...there is a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone's Thanks to Harper Perennial for another wonderful book. I received this for free in exchange for an honest review.
You know that feeling you get sometimes like you are being watched but it's only you in the house? Or like stuff is not where is supposed to be but nobody could have touched...you live alone. Kind of creepy moments to be honest...then you stumble on a book and the first line of the description says something like " ...there is a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone's house...".I was intrigued, I had to read it.
Something in between "The count of Montecristo" and "Pirates of the Caribbean ". Told with a series of flashbacks we fallow the adventures of the young girl who grows up and I would say dies/not dies to be the faceless old woman. The story is narrated in the first person so everything we know is from one person's point of view. She tells us about her life and how , after her mother died when she was just born, she was raised by her father and his friend and partner Edmond. Her only friend was Albert a little boy who had a lot of questions but who would talk very little about himself. The books gave us little information at the time. Like a 1000 piece puzzle you try to put all the information together. What happened to her ? And how she ended up where she is now? Little did I know that the biggest piece of the puzzle was given to us at the very beginning of the story. In a conversation with our young girl Edmond explains to her the art of persuasion and manipulation. How to make someone do what you want without telling them to,simple make them think it's their idea:"Nothing must be your idea" He said to her. And that is what he did the entire time. Orchestastrating everything from the back stage he made her think that whatever she did ,the pat she choose and the life stile she was having everything was her idea.When you finally realize that the story is almost at the end and all she could do is plot revenge against the person she thought was like a second father. Edmond being who he is of course was 10 steps ahead and had the best over her. I think her desire for revenge it's what kept her alive for so many years. I really enjoyed the story, I would have liked to read more about the present days in the begging of the book instead of a bigger chapter at the end.
Once half through the book I realized there were other two , but I was happy to read they are stand alone stories . I will definitely buy the other two! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2020 FanFiAddict rated it really liked it

Rating: 7.5/10

Thanks to the publisher and authors for an advance reading copy of The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home (Welcome to Night Vale #3) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

A swashbuckling origin story sure to fill the hearts of the Night Vale audience, though may be more lackluster for those who havent followed from the beginning. An intriguing story with a worthwhile ending.

Ive been aware of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast for Rating: 7.5/10

Thanks to the publisher and authors for an advance reading copy of The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home (Welcome to Night Vale #3) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

A swashbuckling origin story sure to fill the hearts of the Night Vale audience, though may be more lackluster for those who haven’t followed from the beginning. An intriguing story with a worthwhile ending.

I’ve been aware of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast for some time now, though I have never actually listened to an episode. My sister is a huge fan and even saw Fink & Cranor live a couple of years back. When I mentioned to her that I had received an early copy of their newest novel, on top of being stoked that she would have a chance to read it (LOL), she told me that if I enjoyed weird fiction, then this might be right up my alley.

And yeah, it’s pretty weird, but also very straightforward.

What starts out as a fairly strong horror story that takes a very ‘You’ approach to infatuation and vengeance turns into a full origin story about where this faceless old woman came from and why she is creeping in your home. Just from the title alone, who would have thought this would become a swashbuckling adventure story about smuggling, a rise in the criminal underworld, and ultimately, revenge. I just assumed, not having listened to the podcast to actually understand who this character is, that this was going to be a somewhat haunted house story.

Not to say this is really a bad thing; just…unforseen?

The story itself is told in flashbacks, which take up a majority of the novel. Tales from when she was a child through her death, including all of the nitty-gritty that comes with having a pirate’s life. The present story-line is brought in in chunks, giving an interesting voice to this character as she completely wrecks Craig’s life.

All in all, I am interested in taking a stab at the podcast and the first two (2) novels in the series: Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours!, just to see the rest of the fuss over the entire thing. Fink & Cranor have written a great story here with some very fascinating characters, though having more of a grasp on just what Night Vale is would probably help garner more interest. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2020 Erikka rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal, read-with-jason, 2020

I've always loved the character of the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. She's so weird and enigmatic. While I absolutely loved this story as an adventure and a journey about revenge, I am a bit saddened that I know more about the FOWWSLIYH. I liked when she was a mystery. I enjoyed this until the last couple chapters. During the back story part of her life, it was a compelling read with some great side characters (esp Rebekah). Once it got to the end though, it was a little ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 22, 2020 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: mt-bookpile-2019

Craig's life has been watched over (and sometimes "improved") by the title character, who is not just faceless but nameless. She's nameless as we follow her life from pampered daughter living on her family estate on the Mediterranean coast, through a life dedicated to revenge against her father's murder(s), to her life(?) as the Faceless Old Woman. We get her life's story interspersed with her watching and helping Craig and honestly, more of the Craig interactions and less of the life stuff ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2020 Jonathan rated it it was amazing

Great way to delve into one of the enigmatic characters in Night Vale lore. The irony is the fact that while it is following one of the weirder characters, a faceless old woman who secretly lives in every house in Night Vale, due to the framing of the story, it's one of the more normal Night Vale stories. Since the entire story is told from the perspective of the titular character, the real strangeness comes in the present-day portions of the story.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2020 Geonn Cannon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm a little torn. As a Night Vale novel, it's kind of terrible. But as a novel about a female pirate with a few Night Vale easter eggs, it's really good. The Night Vale stuff is so minor (honestly, you probably get more from one episode of the podcast) it could be completely cut out and the book would be an original story unconnected to WTNV at all. The fact the main character becomes the Faceless Old Woman barely matters.

Basically, a good book... but barely connected to Night Vale.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 04, 2020 Abby rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: would-read-again, all-time-favs

The prequel to Welcome to Night Vale we didn't know we needed! The faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home has always been a curious character. Where did she come from? Why doesn't she have a face? Why is she so obsessed with Craig? This origin story is truly amazing. We start in the 18th Century when our young heroine grew up and follow her all the way up to present day Night Vale. This book is a beautiful blend between horror and historical fiction and the ending gave me chills. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2020 Sarah Anderson-Pagal rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2020 A Very Mean Mudskipper rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, men-authors

To me, Night Vale is a glorious cacophony of creepy nonsense that makes sense to me in most satisfying ways. This book is great (3 stars = "I liked it" by Goodreads definitions), however, it's not Night Vale enough. I am disappointed. This may be worth 4 stars, really...

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 30, 2020 Caroline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned-audiobooks, lgbt, horror, uno-2020, fantasy

The most fascinating ghost story you'll ever read

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2020 tightrope.to.the.sun rated it it was amazing

*I was given an advanced readers copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I first heard of this novel through the Books in the Freezer Podcast when host, Stephanie, did an episode of her most anticipated horror novels of 2020. The very next day, I saw that this was available for request, so I knew I had to give it a shot.

When it arrived, I was concerned that my lack of knowledge about the Night Vale universe (I had only listened to about 10 episodes of the podcast) ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2020 Michelle rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I found this novel...entertaining. It was amusing and fun and forgettable. The quality was good enough to get by, but certainly lackluster compared to the spark and originality of the podcast and the previous novels. This book hung its hat on the impact of a predictable ending. The sidekicks were one-dimensional and diligently served obvious plot functions. Disappointingly, something here didn't click.
For me, this is the first product of the Night Vale universe that seemed franchisey - it has ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2020 Michael Cook rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

4.5/5 stars
I love Night Vale. A lot. It's one of those ideas that is eternally malleable. There's so much that can be done with these characters and the setting and novels are a really good way for the authors to push the boundaries of the world. It's what they did with the first two novels, Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours! and it's obviously what they're seeking to do here with their third, The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. The Faceless Old Woman is the perfect ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 20, 2019 Haley marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-releases

Part The Haunting of Hill House, part The Count of Monte Cristo, and 100% about a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home.

Who gave Night Vale the right to combine two of my favorite things and one of my favorite characters into one singular book written by two of my favorite people??

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2020 Rosa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-books, read-in-2020

"Memory lives inside the eyelids."

Rarely do I feel so compelled by my reaction to a book that I feel the need to write a review. But here I am. I did receive an advance copy of this book, however I won it in a giveaway. No expectation of tit for tat here, just a genuine love for the experience I just had.

If you're a fan of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, you've probably often caught yourself wondering about The Faceless Old Woman. It's easy to wonder. If you've never listened to Welcome to "Memory lives inside the eyelids."

Rarely do I feel so compelled by my reaction to a book that I feel the need to write a review. But here I am. I did receive an advance copy of this book, however I won it in a giveaway. No expectation of tit for tat here, just a genuine love for the experience I just had.

If you're a fan of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, you've probably often caught yourself wondering about The Faceless Old Woman. It's easy to wonder. If you've never listened to Welcome to Night Vale, you're probably wondering what the absolute heck is up with that title. That's fair enough. This book answers those questions. Whatever they may be.

Part Count of Monte Cristo, part Princess Bride, part Haunting of Hill House, this book has all the turmoil and excitement you could possibly want. Swashbuckling pirates, vengeance, orange trees, and honestly just so many fingers. This story follows The Faceless Old Woman from her humble beginnings among the orange trees on the Mediterranean to her present day residence in all the homes of Night Vale. Simultaneously.

Peppered within her fascinating backstory, we see The Faceless Old Woman in one particular Night Vale home. Craig may be down all of his shoes, but he's at least up a lovely wife now. That's a reasonable trade, right? Especially with a whole boatload of rabbit body parts to support him through it all. Who could ask for more?

Witnessing these two stories commingle shyly and then finally pull together for a wildly emotional conclusion (more for me than for the characters of the book, I imagine), was a spectacular experience. I'm the first to admit that I'm approximately the most gullible reader in the world. However, I am confident that others would be swept up by the pull of this story as well. Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor's writing is as nuanced and unique as always, and it kept my nose to the page relentlessly from start to finish. Between the intense sensory descriptions and the bizarre language that we all know and love as The Faceless Old Woman's particular prosody, it's impossible to look away for a moment.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the previous Night Vale books, or any of the podcast. I would also recommend it to those who love a good revenge tale, with a side of romance and adventure. With a highly diverse cast (explicitly described, unlike some other authors who like to sprinkle it in suggestively after the book is done for undeserved kudos *cough* JKR *cough*) including badass Jewish women, aromantic charmers, poetic Eastern European murderers, and feminist pirates, this book has something for everyone. If I were able to give this ten stars out of five, I would. Can't wait to see the official copy when it comes out on 3/24! ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 28, 2020 Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, adult-lit, audio-book, 2020, narrated-by-mara-wilson

I loved The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home! I knew it was going to be a great book, and I pre-ordered it the second I heard there was going to be another Night Vale book.

I was really excited about this book in particular because we get the amazing backstory of one of my favorite Night Vale characters. I don't want to ruin anything for people who haven't read it yet, but I loved learning more about her, and how she came to Night Vale. I loved the reason she ended up there, I loved The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home! I knew it was going to be a great book, and I pre-ordered it the second I heard there was going to be another Night Vale book.

I was really excited about this book in particular because we get the amazing backstory of one of my favorite Night Vale characters. I don't want to ruin anything for people who haven't read it yet, but I loved learning more about her, and how she came to Night Vale. I loved the reason she ended up there, and I loved seeing how she became the faceless old woman.

Of course, I did the audio book, which I highly recommend! Mara Wilson is a great narrator, and I'm glad I went with the audio book! She also is the voice of the Faceless Old Woman on the podcast, so I'm really glad she narrated the audio book.

I had no doubt about listening to the audio book because I've been listening to the podcast for years. It's been the same way with the previous audio books, and I have no doubt that it will be the same way with any other books Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor write. Their books just work really well on audio, and I can't imagine trying to read them in print.

I also want to say that you don't need to listen to the podcast to know what's happening in the book. As a huge fan of the podcast, I am going to say that listening to it is a great idea, but not at all necessary to know what's happening in the book. I love that the books can be read without listening to the podcast first.

I still think you should listen to the podcast. It's awesome.

But this review is not about the podcast, it's the book about a really cool character from one of my favorite podcasts. She has such a great story, and I loved seeing her as a child to a teen to an adult to the faceless old woman we all know and love. I loved seeing her in Night Vale with Craig, and I loved seeing it all come together.

I was surprised by how it came together, though I figured out one piece of it. That didn't take away my enjoyment of the story, because I liked seeing the journey. That's what I was here for, to see how the faceless old woman became the faceless old woman.

She is a lot more than that now, and now she has a face. She's just as real as Cecil, Carlos, and Hiram McDaniels, and I can't wait to see more of her in the podcast.

My Rating: 5 stars. I loved this book a lot, and I think it's a must read! ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 02, 2020 Jiny S rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror

The opener was strong and compelling. It was creepy and gave me chills of excitement. I would be content just to read about how this creepy old lady ghost takes care of this Craig and haunts him and the people around him into good decisions. There should be a book on that! It reminds of You by Caroline Kepnes, the stalker murderer psychopath, but with a side of paranormal vigor.

Many stories use this style of writing: use the present time to set the mood of the ending, and then use flashbacks to The opener was strong and compelling. It was creepy and gave me chills of excitement. I would be content just to read about how this creepy old lady ghost takes care of this Craig and haunts him and the people around him into good decisions. There should be a book on that! It reminds of You by Caroline Kepnes, the stalker murderer psychopath, but with a side of paranormal vigor.

Many stories use this style of writing: use the present time to set the mood of the ending, and then use flashbacks to tell the story leading to this point. Most of the time this accessory to the main story is boring, and does nothing the further along the actual plot. However, in this case, it is exceptionally well done.

The main story is about a precocious girl who lived by the sea in a recluse land. Her mother died when she was young, and it was her father who brought her up by himself. As she grew older, she became suspicious her father’s work. Eventually she uncovered the world of smugglers, thieves, and bandits.

The protagonist is clever and determined, and likeable because of that. You can understand her ambitions, and at the same time respect her swiftness and precision once she has made up her mind.

The same traits that I admire in her unfortunately became her Achilles heel, for this is a story of betrayal and revenge. It requires a character who equally mastered the art of cunning and deception to lead her to her demise, and the story delivers!

He is reason, she is rage.

The ending is satisfying in its uniqueness. After the protagonist’s natural death, we followed her ghostly presence through time. Although the plot was over, I enjoyed the journey of her wandering spirit and hoped another machination will spring up. Alas, knowing the physical end of the book draws near, my hope was dashed.

After finishing the book, I reflected the protagonist’s life with a sense of despair. She’s driven by ambition, and she’s someone who demands from life something more than simple comfort. I think she’s happy in her pursuit, but the circumstances of her life’s natural end rendered all her meaning void. That was sad, and tragically beautiful. The true ending was spectacular, it looped back and connected with the beginning and brought with it the full throttle of its fury and darkness.

For me, this book sets the standard for all vengeful ghosts. From now on, all things and persons haunted better have a backstory as compelling as the one in this book.
...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2020 Tatiana Dengo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a trojan horse. You think youre getting a regular Night Vale novel like the previous two, but the bulk of this book is a detailed historical fiction memoir occasionally interrupted by brief chapters about Craig, a Night Vale resident who is being terrorized by a faceless old woman in his home.

Craig only has about five chapters in the book, and some of them are heart-breakingly terrifying; certainly not the usual haha ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 18, 2020 Daniel Cuthbert rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In a mix of Princess-Bride style adventure and first person one sided conversation towards a mysterious Craig, The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home, is the third entry into the Welcome To Night Vale universe. Based in the world of the popular podcast Welcome To Night Vale, two different stories converge in ways both familiar and yet still interesting in presentation.

Taking up the majority of the story, we are treated to a tale of a nameless woman who, as a young child watches In a mix of “Princess-Bride“ style adventure and first person one sided conversation towards a mysterious “Craig,” “The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home,” is the third entry into the Welcome To Night Vale universe. Based in the world of the popular podcast “Welcome To Night Vale,” two different stories converge in ways both familiar and yet still interesting in presentation.

Taking up the majority of the story, we are treated to a tale of a nameless woman who, as a young child watches her father suffer a terrible fate. Vowing revenge, she sets off on what will ultimately turn to a lifetime of triumphs and disappointments, as what seems so simple turns much more complicated than she ever imagined. Mixed in are shorter asides of an old woman “conversation” talking to a mysterious Craig, alternating terrifying and coaxing him into making certain life decisions. There’s not much mystery that these two story will link together in a more satisfying way, and when they do, everything falls rather neatly in place.

As far as the things I enjoyed about this, the tale of this “old woman,” set in the world of smuggling, pirates, and a desire for bitter revenge, was well written and told, with some rather fun supporting characters including a woman known for her disguises and another who could give Andre the Giant a run for his money! There were however, a few things that disappointed me enough to not be able to give this a full five stars. The story, while interesting, was one that became fairly telling to figure out where it was going by the middle, and thus when the twist came, I wasn’t exactly surprised. I also would have liked a bit more with the old woman and “Craig.” There wasn’t enough of that for me and on the whole felt more like unwanted interruptions to the revenge tale, which seemed to dominate this. For me, there just wasn’t enough of that uneasy vibe I was looking for in this story.

Having said that, this was still an overall entertaining story and I believe one that, for those who have listened to and enjoy the podcast, will no doubt enjoy.

(I received an ARC of this title through a giveaway. All opinions are freely given and are mine alone.) ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 03, 2020 Kate rated it it was amazing

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
A BarksBeachesBooks Review
WOW. I had no idea what to expect with this book. I had never listened to the podcast before reading The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home nor had I read the other books. This was an incredible read. It was weird and fascinating and so well written. I couldnt tell where this was going for a little bit, but I did figure out the twist because there wasnt a huge cover The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
A BarksBeachesBooks Review
WOW. I had no idea what to expect with this book. I had never listened to the podcast before reading The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home nor had I read the other books. This was an incredible read. It was weird and fascinating and so well written. I couldn’t tell where this was going for a little bit, but I did figure out the twist because there wasn’t a huge cover up for it. The authors kind of lead you there. However, they did it in such a way that even if you do guess the end game before getting to the end there’s no way to be disappointed because it was 100s of years in the making.
This was Poltergeist meets Pirates of the Caribbean and it was everything I never knew I wanted in a book. The Faceless Old Woman, who is never named, and I will here on out refer to as FOW, grew up on an estate with just her father and his business partner Edmond. When her father is killed by a pirate organization called The Order of the Labyrinth, FOW dedicates her life to revenge and tracking down those responsible. With the help of Edmond, she is trained to be a pirate and incorporated into The Duke’s Own, another organization her father rivaled with before his death.
In alternating time lines between the pirate life of FOW and present day inside a man named Craig’s home, we see the events leading up to how FOW ended up living in multiple homes at once haunting the people of Night Vale, and what exactly she’s doing to Craig. Among other things, putting centipedes in his ears, setting up a meet cute for Craig and his future wife, putting dead animal limbs in his pockets, and setting all his shoes on fire. This read was at times haunting (perfect pun), adventurous, and humorous.
If I go any further into this or I will ruin it for you. Everyone should just go into this basically blind to the premise. It was a magical and wonderful and kind of horrific story that I didn’t want to end. Go read this. It was a delightful spider-filled treat.
*Thanks to the publisher for my copy to read and share.*
...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 01, 2020 Asdif rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I received a free ARC of this book.

I read the first Night Vale book and enjoyed it, but I didn't intend to put the sequels terribly high on my list of books to read. Now that I've read this one, I'm more excited to go back and read It Devours! (thankfully, the order of the books doesn't seem to matter much).

This book was different from what I expected. The story switches back and forth between 19th century Europe and present-day Night Vale, but spends the vast majority of its word count on the ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 17, 2020 Sophie rated it really liked it

The latest book by the creators of Welcome to Night Vale, set in the larger Night Vale universe. As the title suggests, its the story of the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home, one of Night Vales most popular characters.

One of the things I love about Night Vale and which I find truly impressive is how its creators never stay in the same place. There is change and development in all the episodes, and this is even more recognizable in the books. At the same time, they dont abandon ...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Librari...: Please add cover	2	11	Apr 08, 2020 05:44AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

54 users

Horror

52 users

Science Fiction

26 users

Fiction

24 users

Humor

13 users

Adult

9 users

See top shelves…

Books by Joseph Fink

Welcome to Night Vale (Welcome to Night Vale, #1)

Mostly Void, Partially Stars (Welcome to Night Vale Episodes, #1)

The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe (Welcome to Night Vale Episodes, #2)

More…

7 Great Books Hitting Shelves This Week

Need another excuse to treat yourself to new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. To create our list,...

Trivia About The Faceless Old ...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Faceless Old ...

“There is power in being unremembered, in being overlooked. You should remember that power. People who aren't seen can see and hear all.” — 0 likes

“I had known all of this since I left my father's body at our burned estate, but I had stashed it away. I had poured this knowledge into a bottle, and let it age and collect dust deep in the cellar of my conscience. And now the vintage was uncorked, its bouquet opening up, bitter and sharp.” — 0 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Joseph Fink

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home

(Welcome to Night Vale #3)

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

Books by Joseph Fink

Related Articles

Trivia About The Faceless Old ...

Quotes from The Faceless Old ...

See a Problem?

Preview — The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Joseph Fink

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home

(Welcome to Night Vale #3)

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

Books by Joseph Fink

Related Articles

Trivia About The Faceless Old ...

Quotes from The Faceless Old ...

new topic
Discuss This Book